


The World Over

by Trista_zevkia



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Birds of Prey (Comic)
Genre: F/F, Human Trafficking, Necrophilia, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-15
Updated: 2010-10-15
Packaged: 2017-10-26 23:57:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/289314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trista_zevkia/pseuds/Trista_zevkia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A human trafficker deals with the strangest commodity he’s ever seen. He should have trusted his instinct to kill her quickly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The World Over

**Author's Note:**

> English is my native language, but I am not seeking to mock anybody who learns another language. I am highly impressed by anybody who does, even if they don’t learn it perfectly. The broken English conversations herein contained are my attempt to show how Cass’s understanding is more basic than language, that people are people ~~no matter how small~~ the world over.

“One more, Machado.” The driver of the parked van called down the alley, but didn’t seem concerned when he didn’t get an answer.

An observer might wonder who he was calling to, as the alley seemed empty. Either street touching the downtown alley was filled with people, noisily going about their lives this evening. A few passersby glanced down the alley at the call, but kept walking. At the mouth of the alley was a young lady with a heavy backpack, who didn’t react to the noise. She was far too busy studying the map in her hands, so intent that Machado peeled away from dumpsters and shadows to walk up behind her unobserved. 

He was a large man in common enough attire, but after you saw him you wondered how you missed him the first time. The girl turned to the left, as if she had reached a decision about something and saw Machado. He shoved his hands behind his back, as if to hide something, but she didn’t seem to notice. Machado grinned at her as he spoke. 

“Are you lost, beautiful?” She wasn’t beautiful to Machado for several reasons, but he knew of several men who would pay for her company. Something flickered across her features, tightening the corners of her eyes. Machado had a strange notion, that perhaps she had seen his earlier thought. Her words and hesitant smile made him realize how absurd that was. 

“Sorry, I don’t understand.” 

Machado understood the enough English to do business, so her lack of Portuguese wouldn’t hamper things. She could have spoken a language as foreign as the almond shapes of her eyes. She was pretty, but strong and healthy. Machado was strong and healthy and had often been used to train girls like this. He no longer had a taste for it, preferred them broken and placid. His favorite experience had been with a dead girl, but he didn’t know that until after he’d finished with her. This pretty Asian girl with her well worn clothes and ancient eyes, was definitely a fighter. For some, that would up the price, so Machado forced a smile as he slipped into English. 

“Lost? I can find you hotel, come ride with me.” 

She tossed a worried glance at the old truck with the covered tail end, but seemed more worried by the darkening city behind her. With a shy smile, she nodded and followed him. Machado carefully tucked his hand in his pockets, hiding the drug coated rag. When the back of the truck opened before her, Machado was behind her and ready to block her retreat. 

She hesitated, but seemed to take the sight of all the people already in there as a positive sign. Safety in numbers or something, as there were thirteen other girls there. They were handcuffed to the rails on the side of the truck and the two men at the end had guns, so that theory didn’t work so well. Still, the Asian girl got in and sat on the only open seat. 

Machado waited until she was handcuffed before making his way to the front of the truck. His men had been scouring the city all day and bringing them to prearranged rendezvous points. They had two days for training before he shipped them with the others for his latest order. He’d demanded a suitable payment for the sudden increase in the number ordered and this would deplete his stock. Watching the city pass by, Machado considered retiring after this payment. 

sB _Sb_ Bs

Dawn was creeping over the horizon when Machado’s training ground came into view. It was far enough away from the city that nobody paid it any mind and so well hidden by plant life that most people would never find it. By the time they made it down the long, twisting driveway and parked in front of the odd collection of buildings, dawn was officially over. Machado was pleased with his choice of hideaway and went for a walk around it as his cargo was unloaded. 

Boris, his Russian second in command, would adequately supervise the girls for a while and only call on Machado if he was needed. Except something bothered him about that last girl. Her eyes flashed into his mind, seeing more than they should. Nor had she paniced when the truck had driven out of the city. Machado went into the quarters for the new girls, to keep an eye on the strange one. 

She followed meekly along with the others, with the same fearful body posture. Machado considered he might have been wrong, even as he studied her, until he noticed her eyes again. She was good, he’d admit that. Instead of copying the exact body posture of someone else, she had either selected bits of evident fear from different people or knew enough about how she should react to fake it. But even as her eyes scanned the structure she was being lead through, there was no fear in those dark eyes. Machado almost ran to his office, he had to call the police on his payroll and find out who this girl was. 

Four hours later, Machado carried a beer with him as he returned to the girl’s barracks. His contacts claimed no knowledge of any government groups looking into him. All had promised to keep their ears open, but what good would that do him against her? He had almost convinced himself to put a bullet in her brain when he found her again. 

She should have been the last to be processed, since she was the last to be collected, but she was wandering freely. She had turned at the sound of Machado’s running footsteps, but waited for him to catch up. He pulled out his sidearm and made sure to stay out of her reach as he pointed it at her. 

Amusement flickered across her face, even as she assumed a position of fear. Her eyes were focused on him, half hidden by the arm in front of her face. The gun shook in Machado’s hand, because he doubted the gun’s effectiveness. He was an excellent shot, but this tiny thing needed to be killed on the first shot, because he knew he wouldn’t get another. 

Machado directed her back to the where she should be and made a plan. He’d tell Boris to kill her, so Boris would take that risk. Machado would be on the balcony with a rifle. She’d been glancing back at him as they walked so she would know which direction to go, so her looking at the balcony shortly after he had that thought was only a coincidence. A creepy coincidence, but meaningless. 

Seeing that she was properly handcuffed to her assigned blanket on the floor, Machado pulled Cecilia to him. Cecilia was one of his training tools, she had mastered the art of detaching her brain and body when her brain wasn’t useful to the exchange. She would tell other girls about this in whispers at night and they accepted it as a lifeline. If Machado had told them the same thing, they would have rebelled at the idea. 

Cecilia was limp and pliant in his arms, without response to most anything he did to her. Her one tiny bit of remaining fighting spirit was being used to Machado’s advantage and he looked forward to the time he would tell her that. He wondered how long it would be after he broke her spirit that he would break her neck. And then he wondered how long he could use her after her death. 

It was unusual for Machado to take Cecilia in the middle of the day like this, but when he was done with her, he thought up another use. Cecilia slowly made her way back to her assigned area and Machado slid into the hidden passageway behind the dividing wall. It was a tight squeeze to Machado’s mid-life waistline, but it allowed him to keep an eye on his charges and make sure they were learning. Cecilia lay on her blanket, mind still not back with her body. Dora snuck away from her cleaning duties a few minutes later, trying to hide her face from the new arrival as she sat next to Cecilia. 

Machado didn’t remember where or when he had picked up the blonde, but he remembered when she had been returned to him as defective. The client had been too important to piss off over one girl, so Machado had exchanged another girl for her. The client had given Dora to his son for his birthday and the fourteen-year-old was a budding psychopath. 

Dora had been returned with a face like something from the Day of the Dead festivals. Her left side had been even worse but that could be covered up by clothes. Machado had kept her to clean and be a reminder of what happened to those who fought back. He doubted the new Asian was worried enough about her appearance to learn this from Dora, but she had other lessons she could teach. The Asian, had stood in that alley without makeup and her hair looked like it had been pulled back into a ponytail and hacked off with a knife. Clearly, her concern was not for herself. Chyna would be a the Asian’s new name, Machado decided. 

Dora cared about Cecilia, and their relationship was forged out of watching other come and go. Dora’s words weren’t getting through to Cecilia, so she leaned in and started kissing the other girl. Machado would let Chyna see this concern and then explain to her what could happen to them if she didn’t cooperate. Good guys and idiots always fell for that on TV and Chyna clearly thought she was a good guy. Machado was a bad guy for seeing a market need and filling it. Chyna was entranced by what Dora was doing to Cecilia, no longer concerned with the building that held them. Dora and Cecilia had long since gotten over the need or desire for privacy in this act, and Machado no longer watched and touched himself. 

Dora was kissing her way around Cecilia’s body, her dancing tongue and lips removing the feel of Machado’s finger’s from Cecilia’s flesh. When Cecilia shook herself awake, she reached for Dora. She would receive a smile from half of a face before Dora applied her tongue to Cecilia’s clit. Chyna slipped her hand out of the cuff to lean forward, determined to get an eyeful. Machado saw that as proof Chyna was law enforcement, for who else would be able to get out of handcuffs without a thought? He needed to make more phone calls now, but instead he watched her watch them. 

When Cecilia shook out her silent pleasure, Dora would adjust their dresses and pull her blanket over Cecilia. Then Dora would leave, and find tasks to do. She never let Cecilia touch her and Machado had never been curious as to why. His favorite training tools were free to come and go inside this building while the others should be handcuffed in place. Only because they were so full did Boris put Chyna on the same side of the wall as Dora and Cecilia, but Machado wasn’t above using that to his advantage. The triumphant grin showed on his face as soon as Cecilia looked at Chyna. 

“What? Never seen sex before?” 

“Not between two females. My, um, Babs said it took one of each to make a baby.” 

So many thoughts raced around Machado’s brain it made him dizzy. Was Babs this girl’s contact when she was undercover? How could someone know about sex but not know about gay sex and sex for reasons other than making babies? 

“We can’t make kid. We sex for, um, fun.” 

Machado felt like he had missed a step on his way down and escalator. That Cecilia had learned some English from Dora was the least of his concerns. Now he wanted to know how Cecilia’s original question had been in Portuguese, but correctly answered in hesitant English. Cecilia seemed confused too, but would Chyna understand her answer? 

“I saw sex for sale, sex for fun. But sex like that is sex for family.” 

“I don’t understand.” This phrase was clear, as if Cecilia had practiced it often during her English lessons with Dora. 

Chyna shook her head and made a dismissive gesture with her hands, as if to say she didn’t know how to explain it either. “Here? After he took you?” 

Machado was getting the hang of Chyna’s strange way of speaking, he thought. He interpreted these words to ask, how could you get together here, in the midst of all this pain. 

“No hope. Take happy where you can.” Chyna tilted her head to the right and looked at Cecilia before responding. 

“You hope for more, but bury it. Don’t expect rescue. Dora doesn’t hope, thinks this is the best she will ever get.” 

A loud siren brought Chyna to her feet with an impressive swiftness. Cecilia was visibly startled, and it took a lot to bother her anymore. Cecilia held up a hand to get Chyna out of her fighting pose. 

“Food bell. Wake up and eat.” 

“Annoying.” Chyna spoke before relaxing her posture. 

She was still standing when Boris showed up around the corner and demanded to know how she got out of her handcuffs. Chyna faked that she didn’t understand what he was talking about and Machado left his vantage point. He needed to re-contact some people about him being investigated. Plus he knew a certain buyer with a fascination for martial arts. If he spun it just right, he might be able to convince that buyer he had a new sparring partner for him. 

sB _Sb_ Bs

After a fortifying lunch, one that was a far cry from the tiny bowl of rice his commodities received, Machado considered a nap. When one of the castrated serving boys brought him a note, Machado knew before he read it that Boris needed his help with Chyna. He read over the note for confirmation as he walked that way and formed his plan in his mind. 

Chyna was in the processing room for her physical and assessment of skills. It was supposed to be done in an industrial way, to make the girl feel like she was a product now and no longer a person. Her backpack had been taken from her on the truck, so all she had to do here was take of her clothes. Fully dressed, she was leaning against the wall. The blood on the coat of the disgraced doctor Machado had working from him indicated she had not responded well to his attempts to inspect the merchandise. He nodded to Boris and the doc, and they left the room gratefully. 

“Your name is Chyna. You will answer and do as told. Any punishment you earn, Cecilia gets. Are you prepared to beg forgiveness like Dora does?” 

“They don’t share forgiveness, or reasons to ask for forgiveness.” 

Machado took an involuntary step back, and turned it into leaning on the wall. How had she figured that out in a few hours? Cecilia was too beaten down to talk openly about her feelings and Dora was too busy and shy. Chyna was seriously spooky and Machado was glad he was getting rid of her soon. 

“I have a buyer for you. He will behead you if you bad. Do you understand death?” Her eyes tightened at that, as if she understood far more about death than he did. Squirming back into the wall hopefully hid the shudder that worked up Machado’s spine. 

“When will this buyer come for me?” 

“We deliver.” Machado forced casualness, his effort to take back control of this situation. “The ship goes tomorrow and you be caged, unless you promise good behavior.” 

“The boat knows where to go?” 

“Your pictures allow them to put each girl at correct port, so don’t think you can get out of it!” 

“Well, not by sending another in my place.” She gave him half a grin and Machado reached for his gun. He was right, it was useless. She was on him before the gun cleared the holster and brought a cloud of blackness with her. 

sB _Sb_ Bs

Pain pounded through his skull and Machado would have liked to cradle his head in his hands. From the feel of metal on his wrists, Machado figured his hands were handcuffed above him. Slowly opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings. He was in one of the confinement cells he had threatened Chyna with, handcuffed in a standing position. He’d never mastered the art of escaping from handcuffs with his large hands but he put everything he had into do it this time. 

“Cass, wait!” 

Machado stopped as footsteps ran after the words. Whoever Cass was, he hadn’t heard her walking down the metal hallway toward him. The voice that called out sounded familiar, but Machado couldn’t place the excited cry. 

“I can’t find Dora!” 

“She hides from you in the motor.” 

“Hides! Why?” 

“Fear.” 

“Why does Dora fear?” It was the way she said Dora that allowed Machado to recognize Cecilia’s voice, laden with emotion. 

“You are free. Free to choose someone worthy of you. Someone pretty. She wants you to be happy and is giving you space to choose.” 

“That’s ridiculous! She saved my life in that place. Let me hope to find a way to make her happy.” 

“Grateful. Not enough for life together.” Chyna’s voice was calm, resigned to not being enough for somebody. “Needs to know you feel something for her, not her actions.” 

“But, I love her kindness, her acceptance! She forgives me for my despair and brings me to life.” 

“In motor room. Go tell her all that. English word is love.” 

“Love.” Cecilia was trying out more than her pronunciation of the word. Machado knew the word, but had never meant it when he used it. 

“Yes.” Chyna or Cass confirmed briefly and Machado could imagine a serene nod from her. 

Cecilia turned and ran, her footsteps clanging loudly as someone quietly opened Machado’s cell. Cass stepped in, completely unconcerned that he might try something. Machado gave her a seductive grin and started trying to talk his way out of this. She understood several languages but didn’t speak very well or something, so Machado stuck with his native Portuguese. 

“My beautiful darling, you are special! I did not realize, you hide it so well but you are incredible. I would give all my worldly goods to you and retire, knowing you would put my wealth to good use. I had such dreams when I started in this business, but was weak. My weakness allowed them to pull me into their depravity. You have released me and saved my soul! Please take all my goods and let me flee to a monastery to pray for forgiveness!” It was hard to hold the smile and happy expression when faced with such a look as Cass was giving him. She clearly knew every word was a lie and was bored waiting for him to acknowledge it. The best he could do was stop talking and wait for his fate. 

“All your men are in jail, you prisoners are returning home. The good guys on board will follow your invoice, arresting anyone expecting a prisoner.” 

This was the truth and they both knew it, even as Machado knew he would never learn how this came to pass. Did the small but muscular girl manage to give their location to the cops or had she taken out the entire compound by herself? Her words made the second one more possible in Machado’s mind. 

“The Snake King is known to me. Wondered where he had hid. You made deal with him for sparring partner, and you will deliver. Once there, I am sure you will learn to pray like in monastery.” 

Cass turned and left, clearly having no further need to spare him a thought. Machado worked on repressing his whimper as the door closed behind her. “I’ve learned! I swear I’ve learned my lesson! People are people and not commodities! Your name is not Chyna, it’s Cass. I will do what you say because you are the law!” 

“I’m not the law.” Cass peered through the barred window at him with conflicting emotions on her face. “I’m the Bat.” 

Cass turned away and Machado stared at her head in confusion. He didn’t understand what bats had to do with this; clearly her inability to speak had put the wrong word on her lips. But somebody else understood it, somebody who had also walked up to them without a sound. He was watching Cass’s head though, and she didn’t seem surprised by this other person appearing. 

“Good to hear, Cassie. We’ve missed you.” This American-English speaking voice Machado was sure he had never heard before. 

“Was Babs mad?” 

“When you left without a word, yes. When you called in the location of human traffickers, no. We knew you couldn’t stop helping people!” 

“Canary, I am death, or a curse. I cause more harm than good, hurt more than I help. I did what I did for him, to be part of his dream. Then Cain hurt him because of me. He forgave me for that, so the curse had to be stronger, had to take his life. Can’t anybody else see that?” 

“No, because it’s not true. For a human lie detector, I take it you never looked in the mirror when you said all that crap.” 

“I don’t lie.” 

Machado would have backed away from the conviction in that voice, if only he could. Canary must have felt safe, for she continued the conversation. 

“Maybe, but you also don’t know everything. He knew long ago that his crusade would take his life, that’s why he let it have so much of him. Had B expected to retire, he would have settled for being a cop or something safe and had the family he wanted so much.” 

“Work is all because unable to admit his love for Clark.” 

“What! Um, totally different subject, for another time.” Canary cleared her throat, clearly lingering on the idea that ‘B’ might be in love with a Clark. “He took you and your brothers in because he had to help. He did the best he could and if he didn’t love you all, he wouldn’t have let you into his life like he did.” 

“Dick distrusts me, hates me for what I am. Tim pities me and Daemon straddles a fence. If he chooses wrong I will have to stop him. Is this all there is to family?” 

“Not all, but drama is part of it. Our lifestyles heighten every emotion. You can’t change the minds of your brothers, but you can adjust your opinion of yourself. I can’t give you a reason to keep fighting, but I can suggest you give everyone, including yourself, the benefit of the doubt.” 

“I had hoped to return home when this mission is over. I must beg understanding from people there.” 

“Babs?” 

“No. I mean, yes. I must try and find a place amongst the family again. But I need to tell Steph something special.” 

“You aren’t going to force her to give up the mantel?” 

“Never. I’m going to give her the rest of me. The Cass part that love’s her, with sex.” 

“Oh!” 

“You disapprove?” 

Machado couldn’t help but back his legs away from the ice in that tone, stretching his hands above him. 

“No, just surprised!” Canary was quick to reply. Clearly she felt safe around Cass but didn’t want to go too far. “You never seemed interested before, male or female.” 

“I see lust all around, thought that was all. I needed to see love to know it.” 

“You’re a strange one, Cass, but I’m thrilled to have you back.” 

“After this.” 

Machado knew ‘this’ to be the destruction of his carefully made network of people interested in other people for fun and profit. 

“Yes, but I won’t tell Babs so you can surprise her, and particularly Steph. I don’t think even Babs could keep this a secret.” 

Cass laughed and seemed to surprise herself with the sound. “I was so surprised! Never thought about love crossing all boundaries.” 

There was a pause in the conversation before Cass spoke again. “Why does that make you sad?” 

“It’s one of those truths that children know and forget as they grow older. But you realizing it this way makes me remember you never had a childhood.” 

“Maybe that will be may place now, the child of the family.” 

Machado shivered violently enough to rattle his handcuffs against the metal pipes at the thought. Canary laughed but her words showed she had had almost the exact same thought as Machado. 

“People think your family is scary now, wait until they learn you’re the innocent version!” 

More laughter trailed away as both women moved out of Machado’s ear shot. Now he was left in the dark with nothing more to hold onto than his fear of tomorrow. He swore on his life that if he got out of this, he would move so far north he’d never see a bat again! And just to be on the safe side, he’d swear off baseball as well. 


End file.
